Yearly Summary.
As 2013 draws to a close I thought I’d summarize how it went on KP. It was a quiet year, with only 53 posts. The blog has increasingly become a one trick pony show, as Lew and Anita have greatly...
View ArticleWhy Does Class Matter? Contemplating Left praxis in a po-mo age.
My posts on the demise of the political Left in NZ have elicited a fair bit of debate, which is good. However, there are two main areas of misunderstanding in the debate that need to be corrected. The...
View ArticleWishing you the best for the upcoming year.
Another year has come and gone and KP idles along in its small corner of the blogosphere. For a year in which social media was touted as emerging as a significant competitor to the corporate press as...
View ArticleYear End Summary.
Kiwipolitico continues to chug along in its niche space in the NZ political blogosphere. We published 41 posts this past year, all but three of which I wrote. Kate guest posted in May (on universal...
View ArticleIntroducing E.A. Blair.
Due to the press of externalities, the KP collective has shifted over the years since its inception in 2009. Lately it has been mostly me who has been doing the posting but that is about to change. Lew...
View ArticleMedia Irritants.
Terrorism Porn. Coverage of the Manchester bombing has turned into an exercise in morbid titillation. The media voyeuristically interviews hysterical parents about whether they or their children saw...
View ArticleSpare a thought for grumpy old men.
At an early age, I knew that I was going to be athletic-minded. I used to say to my father “I am immortal until proven otherwise!” and, much to his consternation and that of my mother, set out to prove...
View ArticleHouse of Pain.
I am on the mend, sort of. Or better said, I am out of surgery and convalescing after having my left hip replaced. It was an interesting experience. They decided to give me a spinal with a light...
View ArticleKP ten years on.
In January 2009 KP started publication. I was living in Singapore and was part of the original team that included Anita and Pete. Shortly thereafter Lew joined us. Over the years Pete, then Anita and...
View ArticleAbout that silly Mr. Bridges.
In the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attacks, Simon Bridges wants to expand the powers available to the NZ security community when it comes to search and surveillance. He apparently believes that...
View ArticleFirst a massacre, then the push back.
During the first hours and days after the terrorist attack in Christchurch, I tried to be optimistic about what could come out of the event. I saw it as a window of opportunity and teaching moment, a...
View ArticleA coward’s ploy.
Some readers may remember that I mentioned last year that I was applying for NZ citizenship. I filled out the paperwork and had my original citizenship interview in February. Everything went well until...
View ArticleSeasons Greetings and Happy New Year.
I hope that all readers have had a good festive season and are headed into a healthy, happy and productive New Year. 2019 was a relatively consistent and quiet year at KP, as befits a niche political...
View ArticleEnd of Year Roundup.
We have arrived at the end of another year here at KP, making it the 11th since this blog started in January 2009. I am the only one left of the original crew and am the only one who posted this year....
View ArticleMonsoon over Tucson.
From time to time I get asked about the prettiest places where I have lived. I am lucky that way because I have lived–not just visited or passed through–some pretty interesting places, including Rio de...
View ArticleIdeational and ideological in the construction of “isms.”
A lot has been made in recent times about the dark and pernicious side of ideology, particularly its ability to incite hate or dispute obvious fact. In that regard there has been much discussion of...
View ArticlePositive Feedback.
Ah, the joys of engaging in public debates. I got this gem over at my work email. Does anyone know who this lovely group might be? >>From: National Interest Battalion...
View ArticleRandom Retweets: Pandemic mitigation.
Introduction. I have recently seen a trend whereby people turn their twitter ruminations into op eds and even semi-scholarly essays such as those featured on Spinoff, Patreon or The Conversation. It...
View ArticleA satisfied customer.
It is in the comments section but I thought that I would highlight this lovely piece of correspondence from an avid reader: NIB supporter1 approvedAustrianGod@protonmail.com185.228.138.240 White...
View ArticleFlashback Friday: Before paths diverged.
This picture was taken at an end of year celebration hosted in the early 2000s by the Green Party at a trade union hall on Great North Road. In it are three individuals whose paths crossed at that...
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